Introducing T Levels

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Mar 2025 Closed: 22 Sep 2025 Parliament page
The Department for Education (DfE) launched T Levels in September 2020, with the aim of supporting young people into skilled employment. Focused on a vocational skill, a T Level equates to three A Levels, and includes an industry placement. As of September 2024, DfE had introduced 21 T Levels, with … Read more
2 Recommendations
26 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
15 Oct
2025
Report published
15 Oct
2025
Report published
27 Jun
2025
Report published
24 Apr
2025
Oral evidence
24 Apr
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
24 Apr 2025
View on parliament.uk
Carmel Grant · Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education Julia Kinniburgh · Department for Education Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Title HC No. Published Items Response
35th Report - Introducing T Levels HC 822 27 Jun 2025 28 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
28 results
2 Recommendation Accepted
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Publish plan to improve employer awareness of T Levels, capitalising on local arrangements.
There is a risk that colleges cannot secure enough industry placements for more students to complete their T Levels. Industry placements are a mandatory part of a T Level. While 98% of students finishing their T Level in summer 2024 … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and is improving employer awareness through the T Level Ambassador Network, planning to appoint regional chairs this year. It has also introduced new flexibilities and targeted funding for placements and will set out further plans to grow high-quality industry placements by December 2025.
HM Treasury
View details
3 Recommendation Accepted
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Publish clarity for students, colleges, and teachers on T Levels' alignment with other qualifications.
The Department has not provided clarity on how T Levels align with other technical qualifications and career pathways. After pausing the previous government’s decision to defund qualifications overlapping with T Levels, in December 2024 the new government announced funding would … Read more
Government Response
The government will publish a post-16 education and skills strategy in autumn 2025, which will clearly set out how T Levels fit with other funded qualifications. Skills England has also published occupational maps to provide clarity on career routes.
HM Treasury
View details
4 Conclusion Accepted
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Accelerate T Level content development and review with awarding organisations for evolving skills needs.
T Levels are intended to address skills gaps and meet employers’ needs, but they cannot quickly be adapted to meet this objective. T Levels have been developed and approved by employers to, for example, better meet their needs and improve … Read more
Government Response
The government states it already has agile processes for reviewing T Level content and is implementing changes where identified, such as the revised T Levels in health and science with a first teach in September 2026. It will continue to work with Skills England for regular content review and updates.
HM Treasury
View details
5 Conclusion Accepted
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Refine T Level benefit tracking, update economic benefit estimates, and define clear progress milestones.
The Department has not yet provided complete clarity over what good progress looks like in T Levels becoming established and when benefits will be realised. The Department has identified four potential benefits associated with T Levels, including progression to further … Read more
Government Response
The government states it uses several published datasets to measure T Level benefits and KPIs, and commits to updating the economic benefit assessment at regular intervals. It will also continue to review its benefits management strategy annually to track progress.
HM Treasury
View details
6 Conclusion Accepted
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Develop understanding of college T Level funding pressures and a teacher recruitment strategy.
Various factors, such as teacher recruitment and awarding organisation fees, will influence colleges’ uptake of T Levels particularly given their wider financial challenges. The Department recognises the additional burden faced by colleges to recruit T Level teachers, especially given that … Read more
Government Response
The government will publish a post-16 education and skills strategy in autumn 2025 that includes strengthening support for the FE workforce and will provide updates on teacher recruitment and retention, aiming for 6,500 additional teachers. It is also developing a new FE Teacher Industry Exchange scheme and investing over £1.2 billion annually in Skills, including continued Targeted Retention Incentives.
HM Treasury
View details
1 Conclusion Accepted
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Committee heard evidence on the introduction of T Levels.
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Education (The Department) and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) on introducing T Levels.2
Government Response
The government outlined a comprehensive plan to increase T Level awareness, enrolments, and quality, including removing funding for overlapping qualifications and continuing the 'Skills for Life' campaign. Updated specifications will be introduced from September 2025, with full implementation by September 2029.
HM Treasury
View details
7 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Department’s T Level starter forecasts are significantly higher than current enrolment numbers.
The Department’s latest forecast of 66,100 T Level starters in September 2029 is significantly more than the 25,508 students starting in September 2024. We asked the Department about its confidence in meeting this forecast – it told us it was … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
8 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Level student satisfaction varies across courses, despite overall positive workplace preparation.
The Department told us it relies on the positive experiences and word of mouth from T Level students as one way to raise awareness.11 However, students have reported varied satisfaction. For instance, those who started a T Level in 2021 … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
9 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Student T Level awareness and enrolment hindered by unclear offer and excessive assessment burden.
We heard of various reasons for students not being aware of T Levels or keen to enrol. Written evidence we received described students being unclear about what T Levels offered and uncertainty over their position particularly following government’s announcement to … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
10 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Level Foundation Year progression remains low; higher education acceptance is limited.
The Department introduced the T Level Foundation Year for those needing support before starting a T Level. However, few of those on these courses progressed to T Levels – in 2021/22 only 8% of those completing the Foundation year then … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
11 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Levels continue to show significant underrepresentation of women, disadvantaged, and SEND students.
We challenged the Department on the underrepresentation of women in engineering and manufacturing T Levels, which mirrored the current workforce, and what it could learn from others internationally. This included the Supporting Adolescent Girls’ Education programme in Zimbabwe, which supports … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
12 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Many employers, particularly SMEs, remain unaware of T Level qualifications.
Employers play a critical role across T Levels, through helping to develop qualification content that meets their requirements and providing students with industry placements.27 However not all employers are aware of T Levels – the Department told us that currently … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
13 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Shortages in mandatory industry placements could limit future T Level student numbers.
Industry placements are a mandatory part of T Levels. Of those finishing their T Level in summer 2024, 98% had completed a placement. However, in August 2023, the Department estimated that shortages in placements could limit T Level places to … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
14 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Colleges face significant challenges securing sufficient industry placements across diverse T Level sectors.
Colleges play a key role coordinating and securing industry placements for T Level students. They will need to find more placements as student numbers increase, ensuring employers can offer placements but also that they have the capacity to source and … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
15 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Department addresses employer concerns regarding T Level placements through funding and flexibility.
The Department also described its work to address employers’ concerns and challenges in offering placements.40 For example, we received written evidence from Make UK and EngineeringUK describing the health and safety concerns associated with hosting students.41 The Department described reintroducing … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
16 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Levels have not yet become the main technical qualification for young people.
In 2019, the Department stated that T Levels would become the main technical qualification option for 16- to 19-year-olds.46 In response to questions around how T Levels fit into its plans to address critical skills gaps across the economy, the … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
17 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Uncertainty surrounds T Levels due to paused or cancelled qualifications, impacting confidence.
In December 2024, the Department announced that there would be no further enrolments on the Onsite Construction T Level after September 2024. In March 2025, it announced it would also stop the Healthcare Science T Level, and that it had … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
18 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Department extends funding for overlapping qualifications, delaying full T Level qualification rollout.
In December 2024, following its previous decision to pause defunding qualifications overlapping with T Levels, the Department announced funding would continue for certain qualifications until 2027. It also committed to continually reviewing those qualifications with low or no enrolments and … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
19 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Level content faces concerns of overspecialisation and not fully meeting employer skills needs.
The Department for Education’s (The Department’s) aims for T Levels include improving technical education and work outcomes for young people, alongside having qualifications that better meet employers’ skills needs. T Levels are based on occupational standards that are developed and … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
20 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Level content adaptation remains slow, requiring at least 18 months for substantive changes.
The Department said that as T Levels reflect a major change to the technical qualification landscape, it will take time to develop course content.58 We challenged the Department on how quickly T Level content could be adapted to ensure students … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
21 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Levels' anticipated benefits remain uncertain due to their early stage.
The Department has identified four potential benefits associated with T Levels – progression to further study or skilled employment; students’ readiness for their chosen career; higher earnings than those studying other level 3 qualifications; and employers’ confidence in T Level … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
22 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Department lacks complete targets and monitoring for all identified T Level benefits.
The Department only has targets in place for two of its four identified benefits – progression to further study or skilled employment and students’ readiness for their chosen career. It does not have targets to understand progress in employers’ confidence … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
23 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Estimated lifetime value of T Levels based on uncertain assumptions.
The Department’s current “best judgement” is that T Levels will be 25% more valuable than other level 3 qualifications (around £23,000 per student over their lifetime, in 2019–20 prices).71 It will get a better understanding of this uplift as the … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
24 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Level completion rates lag behind other comparable vocational qualifications.
For benefits to be realised, the Department needs to increase the number of students enrolling but also then completing and passing T Levels.74 Given that the Department withdrew some T Levels due to lack of demand, we questioned the Department … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
25 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
T Level pass rates declined with programme expansion and new introductions.
In terms of pass rates, the Department told us that it does not set a target but that it would expect to see pass rates slowly rise as the qualification becomes more established and better understood. It also noted that … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
26 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Colleges face significant staffing and financial challenges delivering T Levels.
Colleges play a critical role in providing T Levels – as well as sourcing industrial placements, they must have enough teaching staff with the right expertise, industry-standard facilities and specialist equipment to teach T Level students.79 Alongside introducing T Levels, … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
27 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Colleges still face significant teacher recruitment and retention challenges for T Levels.
The Department told us it recognises the additional burden of T Levels on colleges. It had sought to address this, and help colleges transition to T Levels from other level 3 programmes, by providing a 10% funding uplift in 2023/24 … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
28 Conclusion
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
College concerns persist over rising T Level awarding organisation fees.
For each student enrolled on a T Level, colleges need to pay a set fee to those organisations developing and awarding qualifications. For the latest set of contracts with awarding organisations procured by IfATE, fees per student had increased for … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 6 of 2 classified
Accepted 6
Total 2 recs + 26 conclusions